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Student Safari So Good!
The students during their Kenyan tour, photo by Ivan Zovko. (opens in new window)
A chance to swap their Edinburgh lecture theatre for a balmy outdoor classroom in the Masai Mara brought learning thoroughly to life for SAC’s 36 Ecological Economics Masters students.
Ecological Economics explores the issues involved in helping the world’s population live more sustainably. The students’ mission during their 10-day tour to Kenya was to witness how the demands of worldwide consumers impact on the local environment and traditional ways of life.
The group followed an exciting itinerary - one night in Nairobi, three nights each in the Masai Mara and at Lake Naivasha and two nights above Lake Nakura. In addition to early morning and evening game drives, which provided magical and memorable wildlife encounters, the students met a range of people who gave them a special insight into the context behind the tourism.
Talks were given by reserve managers, administrators, and ecologists, Masai communities, hillside farmers and representatives of the WWF. In many cases the meetings took place outside in the shade of acacia trees, with black and white colobus monkeys scampering by, or hummingbirds raiding nearby flowers.
Discussions covered the conflicts over access to land and water resources, management priorities for the parks and reserves, up-stream land management activities and payment schemes designed to alter behaviour, such as hillside farming, that can damage the land.
There was a visit to one of Lake Naivasha’s many industrial-scale flower farms where most of the cut flowers found in UK shops are grown. This raised discussion around the issues of water management, working conditions and environmental production standards.
For students studying a course that aims to find some answers to the question of how we can live more sustainably, the Kenyan adventure provided much food for thought about our own tourism and consumption choices here in the ‘west’ and what they really mean for the people whose land we use.
Student Brett Anderson said: “The main benefit of this tour is that gave us the opportunity to evaluate environmental polices. In addition to hearing stakeholders' opinions, one of the most interesting lectures was given by a Biologist who was able to give an overview of the effects of human population expansion and conservation measures on a wide-range of species, including flamingos.”